In the last couple years there’s been a boom in online shopping. This is true across all categories and formats, but especially so for high-end fashion. Accordingly, savvy entrepreneurs went after the discount-seeking, designer-loving crowd with a bevy of so-called online “sample” sales and “private” shopping clubs. Initially there was an attractive mystique spawned by the idea of invite-only shopping, but as the number of sites and customers in the arena grew it become clear that there wasn’t anything truly private about the deal. Now, there are more of these sort of sites than this blogger cares to name, but a few you might recognize include ideeli, Editor’s Closet, Top Button, Cocosa, and Hautelook. And then there’s Gilt Groupe, a slick shopping club site that has distinguished itself among the pack with it’s premium inventory, tech savvy marketing, and expansion into the travel arena. The company has made it clear that it’s not your average online sample sale by teaming with print magazines and being the leaders of the iPad app pack. Now Gilt widens the gap between it and the rest in the sector by being the first to have a capsule collection designed specifically for the site. More
Behind the Scenes at Net-a-Porter.com
When it comes to fashion commerce online, Net-a-Porter.com is pretty well at the top of the food chain. The innovative e-tailer is often credited for making luxury fashion available to the masses by offering high-end brands, which were traditionally only available in boutiques and top-tier department stores, to online shoppers. This meant that anyone from Alaska to Albuquerque could get in on the designer fun, rather than only those in such places at New York City or London.
Read the rest at the FashionStake Blog
Fall Trends 2010: Transitional Clothing
The Fall 2010 Runway shows were months ago, so Eighty Jane has put together a series of refresher articles on the trends to watch for the FashionStake.com audience.
ABOVE: Fall 2010 Runway Looks from Betsey Johnson, Diesel, & Karen Walker
“Another thing we like to do on the weekend is go shopping. So today we’ll focus on the Fall trends that can be found in the current summer sales going on everywhere online and in brick and mortar stores. It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of deep discounts, but if you have a game plan, you’ll get the most bang for your buck. Note these trends to guide you toward pieces that’ll easily coast into fall.”
Click here to read about Flowing Florals, Layered Sleeveless Dress, and Shorts at the FashionStake Blog.
Updating the Grace Kelly Look
Lately there’s been a surge of renewed interest in the late Grace Kelly. The actress-turned Princess of Monaco appears on the May 2010 cover of Vanity Fair and retailers like Netaporter.com have recently used her iconic style in their promotional tools. Perhaps most significantly, London’s world-famous V&A museum recently launched exhibit entirely devoted to Grace and her ageless style. The modern interest in the 1950s icon is related to the current trend of returning to the classics. The fashion world seems to be promoting a preference for basics and quiet luxury – a style for which Kelly was the very embodiment. Yet contemporary women who are inspired by the princess don’t have to rely on vintage clothing or reproductions. Rather, they can reference the mid-century elegance with modern, up-to-date options.
Read the rest at GlamChix
Grace Kelly, Updated by eighty jane featuring MIA shoes
Fitness Fashion: Cute Looks for Your Workout Wardrobe
Designers like Alexander Wang have helped make jersey and fleece a part of the high-fashion pantheon. The result: folks are out paying $400 for sweatpants! Clearly, these styles aren’t actually meant for your morning jog. Yet if you are a fashion fanatic you probably want to maintain a high style standard even when you’re drenched in sweat. There’s no need to look to the runways for cute fitness fashion. Rather, stick to the companies that specialize in creating garments and equipment for exercise. You might be surprised at incredible range of styles available.
Read the rest at GlamChix
Spring/Summer 2010 Fashion Jewelry Trends
During the warm months of spring and summer accessories are very important. Because clothing is fewer and skimpier, items like your jewelry have a better shot at taking center stage in your overall look. Accordingly, the bling and baubles you choose during these seasons are as important as your dresses and shoes. Check out this trend report to help you navigate the hottest fashion jewelry styles for Spring/Summer 2010.
Read the rest at GlamChix.
Web News: The Fashion Cult Hit by Hackers
The Fashion Cult – a network of fashion-focused blogs – was targeted by an unknown group of Website hackers that have been attacking high-profile WordPress blogs. Cult Webmistress Mary Egbula first noticed something wrong with the flagship site TheFashionCult.com (a.k.a. TFC) when a the Avast anti-virus software on her office PC began to abort any connections to the site.
“I was devasted,” the Webmistress said, “The Fashion Cult has been online since 2005 and we’ve never experienced anything like this.” She says the sites were all shut down immediately to protect any visitor that might not have anti-virus protection.
The rash of hacks has been widespread, yet strangely quiet. Though hosts, including the ubiquitous Godaddy sent notices to customers implying that the events were due weakness in the software, WordPress maintains that the security issue was the fault of related hosts. Indeed, sites were targeted because lax security on shared servers allowed the unscrupulous hackers access to sensitive information. WordPress has, conspicuously, removed Godaddy and several other hosting providers from their list of recommended hosts.
As The Fashion Cult, they have since moved to a new server with a new provider. “The service with Godaddy was never very good and I’d been ready for a change anyway,” said Egbula. “The Fashion Cult is moving to newer and greater heights in 2010 and it’s almost appropriate that there was such a dramatic impetus to move to a new home.” (Photo Source)
The incident caused flagship property TheFashionCult.com to take a major hit in search engine page rank, but Egbula says she’s confident that the site will bounce back in no time. She has contracted a security expert to ensure that TFC and all related sites are safe for her audience to visit again. (Photo Source)
POLL: Which Social Network is Best for Fashion?
Businesses of all sorts and sizes are facing the fact that engaging their customers online must happen in some form if they are to move into the future with the rest of the business world. According to some, the fashion industry was slow to this realization but the buzz is building faster than ever in the garment biz. There are many networks out there and new ones popping up everyday. Which do you think are best for promoting fashion?
Read the list and VOTE here.
Shop the Spread: “Keep it Short” – Vogue UK – June 2010
Magazine editorials are inspiring, but aspirational for most of us. See how one spread from UK Vogue is brought down to earth, at the Shopparel Blog:
In this edition we’ve got our sights on a sweet little photo story called “Keep it Short” from the June 2010 issue of Vogue UK. The first target: leopard print shorts. It’s hard to see the price in this photos, but judging from the price of other shorts on the designer’s website, these Paul Smith shorts cost is around $300. That’s a pretty hefty chunk of change to pay for any pair of shorts – let alone a pair as trendy as these are. The following options are a lot more accessible and you won’t feel bad about abandoning them once leopard print goes back out of style.
L to R: Leopard High Waisted Shorts – $42 – missselfridge.com; Purr-fect Pin-up Shorts – $94 – modcloth.com; Rebecca Minkoff Poison Ivy Denim Shorts – $125 – shopbop.com
Read the rest here
Vacation Essentials – What to Pack for your [Summer] Getaway
Quick wardrobe tips for spring and summer getaways from the Pinkertons Shoppe blog:
First of all, it’s always best to travel light. When you’re packing you might think you’ll want 10 shoe options when you get to your destination, but once you have to do all that schlepping (not to mention baggage fees) you’ll see that being fancy free is much more satisfying. Accordingly, you should take pieces that can pull double duty and save you space in your bag.
Choose a sundress that’s casual enough for daytime, but cute enough to spruce up for a night on the town. When you go big on color and print it gives you options for interpreting the style of the dress. On the left, above: a day look with crossbody bag and flat sandals for seeing the sites. On the right: an evening look with super high heels, jazzy earrings, and a clutch just big enough for a little cash, a lipstick and your room key.
Read the rest here